What you need to know
- Microsoft’s new Xbox Game Pass “Standard” tier just launched, deprecating the old “Console” tier.
- Xbox Game Pass “Standard” includes Xbox Live Gold multiplayer (also known as Game Pass Core), but no longer comes with day one games.
- Console users will be grandfathered in as long as they maintain their subscription, and will retain day one Xbox games in perpetuity.
- Today, users noticed that Xbox Game Pass “Standard” is actually missing a ton of games that previously existed in the Xbox Game Pass Console tier, including first-party heavy hitters like Starfield, Forza, and Diablo 4.
- It seems like a tacit admission that Xbox Game Pass of yesteryear wasn’t business viable.
As a long-time Xbox fan and tech enthusiast, I must say that this latest development from Microsoft has left me a bit perplexed and disappointed. For years, Xbox Game Pass was a shining beacon of value and innovation in the gaming industry, offering day-one access to some of the most anticipated games on both console and PC, including many first-party titles like Starfield, Forza, and Diablo 4.
Earlier this summer, Microsoft confirmed that Xbox Game Pass is changing for the worse.
Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass has consistently stood out as a significant advantage in their gaming sector, providing a subscription-based marketplace that competes with Steam on PC and offers substantial value compared to PlayStation with its promise of day-1 game releases. However, this promise no longer holds true now.
Now, only users on the $19.99 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier will get day one games on console, with PC users retaining them at $11.99. The big change is to the basic “Console” tier, which has now essentially been removed for new users. The new Standard tier will start at $14.99 for new customers, and will include the Xbox Live Gold (Game Pass Core) multiplayer paywall specifically for premium games like Call of Duty Black Ops 6. Crucially, though, it won’t actually include Call of Duty Black Ops 6.
Initially, Xbox Game Pass pledged to include day-one versions of Microsoft-owned games in its service. Titles such as Starfield, Forza Horizon 5, Flight Simulator, and numerous other high-profile releases were instantly added to Xbox Game Pass for consoles, PC Game Pass, and Ultimate. This made Xbox Game Pass appear more cost-effective compared to rival services on the surface. However, it’s important to note that Xbox Game Pass Standard no longer ensures day-one access to Xbox games. As a result, the eagerly awaited Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 will only be accessible to PC Game Pass users and those subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. This means that Xbox Game Pass “Standard” members, who pay more than PC Game Pass users, will miss out on these games.
To compound matters, it was discovered recently (via Forbes) that Xbox Game Pass Standard has removed access to a wide variety of games that are currently active on the deprecated Xbox Game Pass “Console” tier, which is only available for users who maintain a subscription. If you swap out your subscription to gain access to Xbox Live Gold, which isn’t available on Xbox Game Pass “Console,” then you’ll lose access to a huge list of titles.
The list of Game Pass titles missing from the ‘Standard’ tier is as follows:
- Age of Mythology: Retold Standard Edition
- Another Crab’s Treasure
- Botany Manor
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Core Keeper
- Creatures of Ava
- Diablo 4
- Dungeons Of Hinterberg
- Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
- Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn
- Flock
- Forza Motorsport
- Galacticare
- Go Mecha Ball
- Harold Halibut
- Hauntii
- Heavy Weapon
- Humanity
- Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
- Little Kitty, Big City
- Magical Delicacy
- MLB: The Show 24
- Neon White
- Octopath Traveler 2
- Open Roads
- Payday 3
- PlateUp!
- Robin Hood – Sherwood Builders
- Rolling Hills: Make Sushi, Make Friends
- Sea of Solitude
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Slime Rancher 2
- SpiderHeck
- Star Trucker
- Starfield
- Still Wakes the Deep
- Tchia
- The Case of the Golden Idol
- The Rewinder
- Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
- You Suck at Parking Complete Edition
It’s possible that certain third-party games like Capcom’s Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess could be removed due to licensing issues, especially if they were not included in specific tiers of Xbox Game Pass when the contract was signed and the new “Standard” tier didn’t exist yet. However, some of the first-party Xbox games being taken off seem rather random. Games such as Hellblade 2 and Starfield, which are unlikely to lose significant sales if removed, don’t make much sense to take away.
It appears that Microsoft didn’t seem to have given any advance indication about this happening, though it’s possible I might be wrong. If you had prior knowledge of this event, please share your sources in the comments below.
Xbox’s strategy is evolving at a breakneck pace
Currently, Microsoft’s Xbox gaming sector finds itself in an unusual situation. Struggling with a decline in demand for their Xbox console devices and affected by the industry-wide decrease in gaming hours, Microsoft, like other prominent publishers, has resorted to job cuts and price hikes. This week, Sony sparked widespread conversation with the announcement of PS5 Pro’s $699.99 price tag, and Microsoft responded by revealing planned layoffs within their gaming division, affecting hundreds of employees.
To expand its user base, Microsoft has decided to collaborate with its long-time competitor, PlayStation, by releasing games on the PS5. This move comes as a surprise since earlier claims to the FTC suggested that Sony’s platform fees would be used for deals detrimental to Xbox. However, it seems that Black Myth Wukong opted out of being an Xbox exclusive due to an exclusivity agreement with PlayStation, not because of any technical issues as previously stated. Furthermore, Microsoft unveiled Indiana Jones, a former Xbox exclusive, for the PlayStation 5 at Gamescom, drawing attention away from the game itself in the process.
The rapid “evolution” at Xbox, often in a negative light, seems to be eroding the positive feelings and momentum the brand gained after the release of the Xbox Series X|S. This recent misstep is unlikely to improve Xbox’s currently tarnished reputation. One can’t help but question whether Microsoft values its Xbox brand.
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2024-09-13 22:40